NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Trading Up 1% – Time to Buy?

Shares of NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) shot up 1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $21.13 and last traded at $21.21. 42,628 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 454,010 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.01.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTCT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on NetScout Systems from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of NetScout Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th.

NetScout Systems Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.55 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.68 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.78. The company has a fifty day moving average of $22.62 and a 200 day moving average of $21.98.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.04. NetScout Systems had a positive return on equity of 6.76% and a negative net margin of 50.90%. On average, equities analysts predict that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Jean A. Bua sold 11,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.92, for a total transaction of $287,016.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 71,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,706,955.12. This trade represents a 14.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John Downing sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.25, for a total value of $72,750.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 130,352 shares in the company, valued at $3,161,036. This trade represents a 2.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,499 shares of company stock worth $512,321 in the last ninety days. 3.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NetScout Systems

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTCT. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in NetScout Systems by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,165,443 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $25,348,000 after acquiring an additional 108,258 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 28.4% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 163,272 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,551,000 after purchasing an additional 36,075 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in NetScout Systems by 5.7% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 36,726 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $799,000 after purchasing an additional 1,995 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in NetScout Systems by 32.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,964 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 477 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in NetScout Systems by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 23,217 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $505,000 after buying an additional 1,539 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

About NetScout Systems

NetScout Systems, Inc provides service assurance and cybersecurity solutions for protect digital business services against disruptions in the United States, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company offers nGeniusONE management software that enables customers to predict, preempt, and resolve network and service delivery problems, as well as facilitate the optimization and capacity planning of their network infrastructures; and specialized platforms and analytic modules that enable its customers to analyze and troubleshoot traffic in radio access and Wi-Fi networks.